Scammers continue to pose as American soldiers. In a terrible recent romance scam, a 34-year-old woman from Brisbane, Australia lost AU$305,000 (US$220,210) to a man posing as a US soldier.
The con man, Cosmos Emeh, 32, claimed to be deployed in Syria, but he was actually also living in Brisbane, with his Australian partner. He convinced the target to send him $200,000 via a money transfer service. Then, in a highly unusual twist, he actually showed up at the woman’s home, claiming to be a “fixer” for the soldier, and collected and additional $105,000.
Finally, the woman called the police. The cops conducted a sting operation and caught the guy. This was also highly unusual — usually, Internet romance scammers get away with their crimes.
NEVER, EVER send money to anyone that you meet over the Internet — especially when the person claims to be a soldier.
Police warn: ‘Concerning twist’ in online scams, on News.com.au.
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